Dance Teachers are people too. We’re human. We have emotions and experience events that occur in our lives (outside of the studio) which are going to move us in a variety of ways. Especially given the current state of the world. Sometimes they are happy events, sometimes devastatingly sad events, sometimes they are events that stack one on top of the other and overwhelm us so that we don’t know what to tackle first. This is a part of our existence on this earth and nobody is special. We are all faced with these things in a variety of ways; such is life. We grapple with these things in our homes, with our families and close friends and very easily can become consumed when we are celebrating, planning, dealing, coping, moving, mourning, healing; whatever the case may be. But what happens when we enter the dance studio and are ready to teach our classes? What happens when we need to switch that stuff off and be present, mindful and focused for the task at hand; being there to teach for our students?

In a career that is so intertwined to our personal lives and in a sense is a means of sparking inspiration and creativity, pulling from life-experience in our teaching, choreographing or moving as a means of catharsis, how do we then balance what is occurring in our private life with our studio life? How do we maintain that very fine line of awareness when those outside things are bleeding into our work? And how do we maintain professionalism without this crazy thing called life interfering with what we were hired and love to do?

First let me say this, as I’ve said above, everyone is human. So cut yourself some slack. Everyone goes through a time, whether it is a rough time or just a busy time where they need to coast or go on auto-pilot for a bit, so don’t be so hard on yourself. And the truth is, everybody is going through it right now in some capacity, so we all need to remember that and support one another until we all find our groove again. The trick is to not stay in this zone for too long and let it become the norm. Finding yourself in a place where you are supposed to inspire and command a room full of students is not the time to be blasé or unload your emotional issues. Just because your students are a captive audience doesn’t mean it is right or appropriate to unload on them just because you can. There needs to be a clear sense of what you and they are there to accomplish. “TMI” is not and never will be an attribute of a good teacher.

While kids will react to a teacher’s news, especially happy news, like weddings, having a baby, etc. and want to know all the details, be selective in what you tell them. Sharing general, joyous news is always fun for them to hear about, but divulging in-depth details of a bad break-up or death in the family is perhaps obvious enough to proceed with caution. If something is circulating around the studio, leave these things to the discretion of the studio owners to advise or take the lead on how to deal with it, what information will be shared, etc. This is the best way to go about it and will ensure that the situation is dealt with in the way the directors feel is best for the business.

If you find yourself in class where you are distracted and consumed with emotion (and we’ve all had those days,) use it to a positive advantage, not a negative one. Don’t sit there and detach yourself and deprive your dancers from their dance- class that they have been waiting for all week. Figure out an appropriate lesson plan where you can join in and be inspired yourself. Work on improvisational scores that are “emotion” driven, deliver a combo that is both an outlet for you and a challenging, fun exercise for the students; while still age and content appropriate.

My point in all this is, life events happen every day and I’m here to tell you it’s OK to be human. BUT…..we all have a job to do, a job that we love and are passionate about. We need to set the tone and be a shining light and positive energy for our dancers, now, more than ever. They need us. So while it is OK to go through these times, know when it’s also time to check yourself and ensure that your students are not the ones receiving the brunt of things going on in your personal life. Know where the balance is and just as we tell our students, when you step into that studio, use it as a haven, a time and place for yourself where you can disconnect and focus on what you love to do, dance.

Good luck to you all.

Sending an abundance of love and light.

See you in the dance studio,

Jess

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